How will The Dark Knight Rises put Batman through more pain than he's already faced in the first two Christopher Nolan films? And what will Batman learn from this torment? Christian Bale explains how The Dark Knight Rises will force Bruce Wayne to confront who he really is.

Advertisement

Plus one possible explanation emerges for Michael Shannon's motion capture suit as General Zod in Man of Steel.

James McAvoy says an X-Men: First Class sequel will only happen if there's a good enough story.

Advertisement

Ender's Game chooses a shooting location, while I, Frankenstein adds two more cast members.

Plus the cast of The Walking Dead reveals the big conflicts that will drive the upcoming episodes!

Spoilers from here on out!

Sponsored

Top image from The Avengers.

The Dark Knight Rises

Christian Bale offers some rare insight into how this movie will complete Bruce Wayne's journey:

Advertisement

Advertisement

"How long will you let the pain and loss define your life? Walking around chasing bad guys is very heroic and attracts attention, but at the end it all accounts for, as a means to deal with the pain of a huge loss. We agreed that Bruce Wayne is absolutely sincere as Bruce Wayne, and as Batman utterly sincere but Bruce Wayne, the playboy, is a pure facade, it's a lie he has, somehow, to control one side of your soul that's not really under control. In fact, only Alfred knows who he is. It's time for Bruce Wayne to face the pain, that has always stirred his life.

Here's a pair of new covers for Empire, showing off Bane and Batman respectively - not to mention Batman's mysterious new glowing weapon. [Empire]

Man of Steel

Take this with a grain of salt, but an inside source claims to have spoken with Michael Shannon and found out from the man himself why he has worn a motion capture on set. The reason, according to the source, is that General Zod wears a big suit of armor, but the practical version proved too cumbersome for Shannon to move around in, so they're adding it back in digitally during post-production. [Comic Book Movie]

The Amazing Spider-Man

X-Men: First Class Sequel

Professor Charles Xavier actor James McAvoy says that, while a script is currently being written, the project hasn't yet been greenlit, and that's because all involved want to make sure there's first a good story in place before they go ahead. He discusses some of the big fallout from the previous film that the sequel will have to deal with:

Advertisement

Advertisement

The director has got a fantastic idea for what the story will be. I can't really tell you what it is because we may or may not make that, but we've got to do something intelligent with it. I can't speak for Michael [Fassbender]'s character [Magneto], but for my character, he's got some major shit to deal with. He's just been paralyzed and he's been betrayed by the person who he's probably come to care about more than anybody else in the world, and he's the guy who did it to him. That's a huge thing that we have to deal with and we need to see that. If we don't see that, I feel like it would just totally wallpaper over the fact that this guy has been completely physically compromised. That's an important thing for me. Other than that, I don't know.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Star Trek Sequel

Hawaii Film Commissioner Georja Skinner and Honolulu counterpart Walea Constantinau met with Paramount Studios last week to discuss potentially filming part of the sequel in Hawaii, confirming at least part of the recent report that the movie was headed there. They didn't comment on the specific report that the state will stand in for a jungle planet, and they stressed that they're just one of several possible locations under consideration. [Honolulu Star Advertiser]

Snow White and the Huntsman

Here's a behind-the-scenes video.

Ender's Game

The Louisiana Film Office has announced that the Orson Scott Card adaptation will film in New Orleans from February 24 to June 8, 2012. The movie is directed by Gavin Hood and possibly stars Hugo's Asa Butterfield, with a current release date of March 15, 2013. [nola.com]

I, Frankenstein

Two actresses have joined Aaron Eckhart and Bill Nighy in this sci-fi take on Mary Shelley's creation, in which the monster survives into the far future and finds himself fighting demonic villains in a strange city. (I can't tell you how much I enjoy summarizing this movie's ridiculous premise.) Anyway, Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski will reportedly play the monster's love interest, "a scientist working on reanimating the dead and tricked into working for demons seeking to create an army of the undead." Miranda Otto, who played Éowyn in Lord of the Rings, will play "the queen of the gargoyles who wants to help Frankenstein", because this movie really wouldn't be complete without some sort of gargoyle monarch. [Heat Vision]

Evil Dead Reboot

Diablo Cody explains that she did "a polish/rewrite on the pre-existing, excellent script by Fede Alvarez", and that she believes the film will be going ahead very soon, though she's not sure if there will be another rewrite between now and then. She explains she was initially hesitant to take on the project because people would assume she would be writing Juno-like dialogue for the movie, but she promises that that is not the case, and that this movie would not feature any "wacky dialogue and cute stuff and folk music," explaining she's "interested in storytelling here and making it scary and good and true to the original. Here's how she explained her work on the script:

Advertisement

Advertisement

Because the director's draft was really scary, I tried to stay away from some of the big horror set pieces. I didn't wanna mess with his vision, because he's the one who ultimately has to shoot it. That being said, there is a moment near the — I mean, it's unbelievably violent (laughs). Occasionally I threw in a wound here or there. I didn't write anything extravagant.

So did you sort of do a pass on dialogue and character stuff?
Yes. And once again, I did not do like the standard dialogue people associate with me at all. I did very naturalistic dialogue that I felt would serve the story.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

David Fincher's long-simmering adaptation of the Jules Verne classic has picked up a new writer, with Andrew Kevin Walker coming in to work on Scott Z. Burns's script. Walker previously wrote the script for Fincher's Se7en, though I'm going to go ahead and guess their work here won't be quite as grisly and depraved. [Deadline]

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Here's a behind-the-scenes featurette.

Skyfall

The new James Bond movie will reportedly feature an homage to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, a rickety "rope bridge battle" between Bond and a villain. [The Sun]

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Here's a clip.

300: Battle of Artemisia

Warrior and The Thing prequel actor Joel Edgerton has reportedly passed on the main role of Themistocles. [@TheInSneider]

Underworld Awakening

Here's a new promo photo, which has really got to be the thousandth Underworld promo photo that prominently features Kate Beckinsale holding an oversized gun. [ComingSoon.net]

Tomb Raider Reboot

The Tourist and Hugo producer Graham King says he hopes the franchise reboot will start filming next year, and that he's excited about Iron Man writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Otsby's script:

Advertisement

Advertisement

We just got the script in on Tomb Raider and it's really good. It's something that, for me anyway, is different, you know, rebooting a franchise that I didn't produce to begin with. But there's something about her character and going back to her roots, and that's what we're doing with this. You're actually gonna meet her before she has all her powers as Lara Croft. It's more of a character study, but it's a really fun, fun adventure story.

Fringe

The Walking Dead

Norman Reedus discusses what's going on in the head of Daryl Dixon:

Advertisement

Advertisement

He's got a different struggle than everybody else. You imagine growing up with a big brother like Merle and then you find out about his family history later on. But the thing about him is he's socially awkward; he can't emotionally have a connection with anybody. He doesn't trust anyone and he knows that people don't trust him. He knows the way that people look at him. So he's sort of like finding his place in this group with everybody else, but it's this sort of delicate give-and-take balance going back and forth.

Like they give a little, I give a little; they take a little, I take a lot. He's an asset to the group but he just can't sit around and chitchat. He doesn't want to talk about himself. He doesn't like the attention on him. And he doesn't like to get involved in other people's emotional drama. And then he's kind of watching these people like its television. He's studying who he can trust, who he can't trust; where his alliances are. He butts heads with people. He takes a leadership role from time to time and he just wants to belong, but he doesn't really lead them.

He also gives an unlikely answer for which character Daryl is most similar to:

If you're going to compare him to any other characters he's most like Carl to be honest. He's kind of got this childlike mentality about him. He's kind of discovering things in a new way in this new environment. So it's interesting. You see everyone, everybody just start deteriorating and he's sort of excelling.

Andrea actress Laurie Holden explains the character's evolution and what she sees in Shane:

"You'll see in the next few episodes that she really evolves into more a level-headed person. She really overcomes a lot of her issues of grief and petulant behavior. She emerges much stronger. "Shane and Andrea are in many ways cut from the same cloth. He's an alpha male and she's an alpha female. She admires him greatly. He teaches her everything she knows and in the upcoming episodes, he gives her a lot of tough love, which she doesn't appreciate and it gets a little nasty, but at the end of the day, it's the best thing for her because she emerges stronger because of it."

She also explains that Shane is going (back) to some dark places very soon, but Andrea won't see it:

"In the upcoming episodes, he reveals a dark side to different characters, but it's something that he keeps very private and not something that Andrea is ever exposed to. She only sees the strong virile alpha male Shane, she doesn't see the dark side. If she did, she wouldn't buddy-buddy up with him."

Finally, she says the fate of the zombies in the barn will dominate the upcoming episodes. [TV Guide]

Advertisement

Advertisement

Here's a guide to upcoming revelations on the show:

"Is Sophia alive?" "Is Rick still making radio calls in the morning?" "When will Rick find out Lori is preggo?" "When will Shane find out Lori is pregnant?" "Can someone survive if they fall into Hershel's zombie pit?" The answer to one of these questions is in this week's episode. And the answers to two of the others are in the midseason finale.

Since yesterday's episode saw Rick learn about Lori's pregnancy, that leaves two of the other three for the midseason finale. [EW]

Producer and special effects specialist Greg Nicotero says the episode he's directing for later this season is "less gruesome" than others, and he adds:

Advertisement

"It was sort of ironic that my episode was much more dramatic than effects-heavy. Of course there are some effects in it but it was a great opportunity because it gave me a chance to work with all these great actors and sort of get out of what everybody would expect from me and do something a little different."

True Blood

The Ring Two actress Kelly Overton and The Last Exorcism's Louis Herthum have reportedly been cast in major recurring roles next year as members of the wolf pack. Overton will play "a dirty, beautiful werewolf named Rikki who demands to know what's become of the pack leader" while Herthnum "will play a particularly large Marine-type werewolf who refuses to bow down before the new pack leader." They're currently set to appear in six and five episodes, respectively, and both have an option to become regulars in season six. [Deadline]

Advertisement

Advertisement

Denis O'Hare says any future appearances as Russell Edgington won't conflict at all with his work as Larry on American Horror Story, since the two shows shoot on precisely opposite schedules, meaning he can do both as needed. [EW]

Chuck

Here's the synopsis for episode five, "Chuck vs. the Hack-Off", which airs December 9:

"What they're doing is laying out the core character and what their inner and outer struggles are. And in doing so, as things coalesce…we know that there's a battle that's going to have to begin. We know that everyone is living in this dream-like state and they're going to have to rise up and fight. There's going to have to be – at least, they're laying a lot of track for it – some epic battle. That's my opinion."

"Jiminy really struggles. It's like Joseph Campbell's hero's journey, in which characters are defined through the difficulties they experience. This goes back to 'The Iliad,' stories that exist to remind us what it's like to be human. What I love about the writing is that they're trying to show struggle and humanize a storyline that could potentially be very 'gee whiz, do the right thing.' They make Jiminy Cricket complex."

A good TV pilot tells you a complete story, and seduces you into wanting to see more. It provides a …
Read more Read more

Supernatural

Here's a brief synopsis and a promo for episode ten, "Death's Door", which will air December 2: "Bobby revisits his past to solve one of the most personal cases of his life. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean race against the clock on a high-stakes mission." [TV Guide]

American Horror Story

Here's a promo for this week's episode, the gloriously titled "Rubber Man." You can check out sneak peeks for it here and here.

The show's two-hour finale has been shortened to ninety minutes, reportedly because the writers simply didn't have enough time with the show's frantic production schedule to come up with a full two hours of complete lunacy. TV this gloriously demented doesn't just write itself, people! [Deadline]

Sanctuary

Here's a promo and two sneak peeks for the November 25 episode, "Fugue."

And are some promo photos for the November 25 episode, "Fugue." [SpoilerTV]